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enBroken Ground: A Karen Pirie Novel/reviews/broken-ground-a-karen-pirie-novel
<p>by <a href="/authors/val-mcdermid">Val McDermid</a></p>
<h2>Review</h2>
<img src="https://images.bookreporter.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/book_main/covers/BrokenGroundFINAL.jpg" alt="" title="" style="float:left;margin:0 10px 10px 0;" width="158" height="238"/> <p>Scottish author Val McDermid has collected numerous writing awards throughout her career, and once again delivers a novel that is tautly wound with just the right mix of mystery, suspense and danger to keep the pages turning long into the evening. BROKEN GROUND represents the fifth outing for Detective Chief Inspector Karen Pirie, who heads the small and often neglected Historic Cases Unit (HCU).</p>
<p>Karen&rsquo;s small team is often at odds with their police chief, and many of their colleagues do not see the need for the HCU. However, Karen loves a puzzle and simply cannot let go of a cold case when it still demands to be solved. To that end, BROKEN GROUND opens with events that took place in 1944 at the Wester Ross part of Scotland. We are introduced to two nameless men who appear to have succeeded in uncovering a lost treasure that had eluded them and now are found digging a large hole in which to bury it.</p>
<blockquote><p>&quot;BROKEN GROUND is another terrific thriller from Val McDermid and a fine entry in her engrossing series.&quot;</p>
</blockquote>
<p>We then move forward to modern-day Edinburgh, Scotland, where Karen is still stinging from the death of her lover and fellow police officer, Phil Parhatka, who was killed in the line of duty. Rather then dwelling in rightful mourning, she is throwing herself fully into her next case. Alice Somerville has traveled with her husband from the U.S. to Wester Ross, where they uncover something buried deep within the ground that was purported to be inheritance left for her from her grandfather, who went by the name &ldquo;Granto.&rdquo; Granto was allegedly a U.S. spy operating in Scotland during WWII.</p>
<p>Ground is broken in the area that her grandfather described, and what they find are two old motorcycles. Along with the bikes is the well-preserved body of a large man who had been shot between the eyes. The peat bog where the &ldquo;inheritance&rdquo; was buried did a remarkable job of preservation, and it should be just a matter of time before Karen and her team identify the corpse. The locals do not provide much help, except for the charming Hamish MacKenzie. It is obvious that Karen has taken a shine to Hamish, even though he is of little help in identifying the murdered man.</p>
<p>Of course, the identification does come through, and Karen learns that the victim was Joey Sutherland, a well-known competitive Scottish Strong Man. He had been buried somewhere around 1995, even though the motorcycles were clearly from 1944. It is now up to Karen and the HCU to somehow link the young man&rsquo;s murder to the inheritance. The investigation carries on, and Karen becomes aware of what the alleged inheritance actually was --- a parcel of diamonds estimated to be a small fortune.</p>
<p>Karen now turns her sights to Shirley O&#39;Shaughnessy, an American who has made quite a name for herself in the development of a Scottish government housing initiative. Due to her high-profile and gregarious nature, Karen&rsquo;s commander has ordered her to dismiss any further pursuit of Shirley as a subject and issue an apology. Of course, Karen has no intention of doing anything of the sort. However, she has no idea of the real danger she is in from many different directions --- mostly the extremely protective and secretive residents of Wester Ross.</p>
<p>BROKEN GROUND is another terrific thriller from Val McDermid and a fine entry in her engrossing series. I particularly enjoyed the dedication of the novel to &ldquo;a bookseller telling her a story...and to all the booksellers who love stories and thrust them into our hands and make addicts of us.&rdquo; I am happy to say that I fully resemble that remark!</p>
<p>Reviewed by <a href="#">Ray Palen</a> on December 14, 2018</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Publication Date:</strong> December 4, 2018</li>
<li><strong>Genre:</strong> Mystery/Thriller</li>
<li><strong>Hardcover:</strong> 432 pages</li>
<li><strong>Publisher:</strong> Atlantic Monthly Press</li>
<li><strong>ISBN-10:</strong> 0802129129</li>
<li><strong>ISBN-13:</strong> 9780802129123</li>
</ul>
AdultFictionMysterySuspenseThrillerTue, 16 Oct 2018 20:46:43 +0000Ana168295 at https://images.bookreporter.comAll That Heaven Allows: A Biography of Rock Hudson /reviews/all-that-heaven-allows-a-biography-of-rock-hudson
<p>by <a href="/authors/mark-griffin">Mark Griffin</a></p>
<h2>Review</h2>
<img src="https://images.bookreporter.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/book_main/covers/All%20that%20Heaven%20Allows.jpg" alt="" title="" style="float:left;margin:0 10px 10px 0;" width="158" height="239"/> <p>ALL THAT HEAVEN ALLOWS does not hold back any punches. Those wishing to gain a greater understanding of Rock Hudson need look no further for insight regarding his tumultuous childhood, expansive career and controversial private life. Author Mark Griffin has certainly done his research, as we get an exhaustive insider&rsquo;s look at the legendary actor and his journey in achieving the American Dream during the Golden Age of Hollywood.</p>
<p>Hudson was born and raised in the picturesque town of Winnetka, Illinois, to a working class family. His parents --- Roy Scherer and Katherine Wood --- married a month after he was conceived, and rumor had it that Roy was not his biological father, but pictures revealing their resemblance might convince you otherwise. The birth of Hudson, born Roy Harold Scherer, Jr, was not an easy one. After hearing him squall with his first breath, his aunt --- a nurse who helped deliver him --- said she knew that he&rsquo;d always be heard the rest of his life. And so it was.</p>
<p>Hudson&rsquo;s youth is important when considering the course that history took. Apart from being an overbearing mother, Kay told her son that he ruined her body during childbirth, and he felt extreme guilt for it. Furthermore, during the Great Depression, Roy lost his job. Feeling useless, he abandoned his family and moved to the West Coast for better opportunities. However, family gossip had it that Hudson was the real reason his father left. Supposedly, Kay was too doting, ignoring her husband. Or was it the rumor that Hudson was not his biological child? Maybe all of this guilt was the reason that Hudson --- after discovering his favorite actors on the movie screen in town --- became determined to one day make a splash up there, bigger and better than anyone who had preceded him. Perhaps he wanted to be heard.</p>
<p>Yet Hudson would have to hide his true self for most of his life. After joining the armed forces, he decided to pursue acting and moved to Los Angeles. At first, he lived with his father, stepmother and adopted sister. When that didn&rsquo;t work out, he got a job driving trucks to make ends meet. Sometimes he would stand outside of MGM&rsquo;s gates hoping to be noticed. He was certainly not unaware of his good looks.</p>
<blockquote><p>&quot;ALL THAT HEAVEN ALLOWS does not hold back any punches. Those wishing to gain a greater understanding of Rock Hudson need look no further for insight regarding his tumultuous childhood, expansive career and controversial private life.&quot;</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Soon enough, he started dating broadcasting professional Kenneth Hodge, a sophisticated older man. Hodge took Hudson under his wing, molding him to become more refined and hosting parties in the hopes of introducing him to the right people. It was at one of these extravagant bashes that Hudson met his future agent, and the man who brought him out of obscurity --- the infamous Henry Willson --- but it did not come without a price. Even though Willson was one of Hollywood&#39;s top agents during that time, people described him as &ldquo;repugnant&rdquo; and &ldquo;like the slime that oozed out from under a rock you did not want to turn over.&rdquo;</p>
<p> Willson learned from his mentor David O. Selznick --- the producer of <em>Gone with the Wind</em> --- how to prey on hungry actors, trading film parts for sexual favors. Hudson and Willson&rsquo;s relationship was both physical and professional. They used one another to climb the Hollywood ladder. Initially, though, as an untrained actor, Hudson struggled. He was almost fired by a major studio, and froze, not able to say a coherent word during the filming of his first movie. Still, Willson knew a money ticket when he saw one and did not give up. The shrewd agent was on to something, and Hudson became known as one of the greatest actors of all time.</p>
<p>Even though Hudson graced the pages of celebrity magazines thanks to his captivating looks, critics were not always kind to him and his films, and he had trouble getting good roles. The 1956 movie <em>Giant </em>changed all that, earning Hudson an Oscar nomination, but his career still had its ups and downs.</p>
<p>Audiences adored Hudson, but they wanted to know why he wasn&rsquo;t married. Willson paid big money, and even threatened a few gossip columnists, so they would not publish articles revealing that Hudson was gay. If so, his career would be ruined as production companies would not hire him. He was constantly in the public eye, but the information revealed in magazines aimed to hide the truth. Publications showed him with beautiful actresses on his arm, saying they were girlfriends when they were just friends. Many of his public appearances with women were set-ups by Willson.</p>
<p> ALL THAT HEAVEN ALLOWS reveals the truth about how celebrity gossip is manipulated by publicists, making us question what we know regarding celebrities today. Soon enough, the general public became so concerned with Hudson being a bachelor that he was coerced into marrying Willson&rsquo;s secretary, Phyllis Gates, who later wrote a tell-all memoir bashing him, but her motives and stories are up for debate. Insiders said she did know Hudson was gay, and that she was a lesbian.</p>
<p>While filming various movies such as <em>Pillow Talk</em> and <em>Giant</em>, Hudson became great friends with Doris Day and Elizabeth Taylor. Mostly everyone he worked with adored him, saying he was generous, hilarious and kind. He helped everyone he could, and at one point wanted to adopt an orphan girl from Paris he met while on location. When told he could not, he donated a large sum of money to her school in the hopes of bettering her life.</p>
<p>Among Hudson&rsquo;s boyfriends were Jack Coates and Tom Clark, who were loved by his friends. His latest relationship, however, turned out to be extremely volatile. Hudson fell for the much younger and also secretive Marc Christian due to his good looks and bright blond hair. But eventually he wanted nothing to do with the man, as he was extremely manipulative and ended up suing his estate.</p>
<p>Rock Hudson is noted as being one of the most influential AIDS patients ever. President Ronald Reagan, who sort of ignored the epidemic, changed his tune when he realized that Hudson, one of his friends, was sick. Due to his role in raising awareness for AIDS, a great deal of money was donated for research and to help care for those who were ill. A Christian woman once told Hudson that he had an important ministry to fulfill, one that would be bigger than all of his movies. And as he wrote in a statement read by Burt Lancaster at AIDS Project Los Angeles in 1985, &quot;I am not happy that I am sick. I am not happy that I have AIDS. But if that is helping others, I can, at least, know that my own misfortune has had some positive worth.&quot;</p>
<p>Reviewed by <a href="#">Bianca Ambrosio</a> on December 14, 2018</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Publication Date:</strong> December 4, 2018</li>
<li><strong>Genre:</strong> Biography</li>
<li><strong>Hardcover:</strong> 496 pages</li>
<li><strong>Publisher:</strong> Harper</li>
<li><strong>ISBN-10:</strong> 0062408852</li>
<li><strong>ISBN-13:</strong> 9780062408853</li>
</ul>
AdultBiographyNonfictionTue, 16 Oct 2018 18:54:53 +0000Ana168273 at https://images.bookreporter.comBryant & May: Hall of Mirrors: A Peculiar Crimes Unit Mystery/reviews/bryant-and-may-hall-of-mirrors-a-peculiar-crimes-unit-mystery
<p>by <a href="/authors/christopher-fowler">Christopher Fowler</a></p>
<h2>Review</h2>
<img src="https://images.bookreporter.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/book_main/covers/Hall%20of%20Mirrors.jpg" alt="" title="" style="float:left;margin:0 10px 10px 0;" width="158" height="239"/> <p>I have yet to meet anyone who, after reading one of Christopher Fowler&rsquo;s <em>Bryant &amp; May</em> mysteries for the first time, did not immediately seek out the rest and devour them. The series started strong with the award-winning FULL DARK HOUSE, and has exceeded the promise of that opening volume ever since. Fowler consistently provides a puzzling and unique mystery balanced by wonderfully sharp characterization, buttressed by a host of cultural, historical and geographical factoids about Great Britain. If you are not an Anglophile before reading a <em>Bryant &amp; May</em> novel, you will be within the first few pages of one. Furthermore, there is always much to love for fans of the mystery genre and all of its subparts, from traditional to contemporary to police procedural.</p>
<p>Detectives Arthur Bryant and John May have been a part of the long-existing (beginning at a vague point near or following the end of World War II) and always-endangered Peculiar Crimes Unit (PCU). The danger to the unit has been from within the London Police Department, as the PCU has been a burr under the saddle of every supervisor tasked with riding herd over it. The main reason for this has been the partnership of Bryant and May, who throughout (most of) the series have been presented in their brilliant advancing years, with Bryant being extremely eccentric and May being the more grounded of the two. Fowler has occasionally given his readers a peek behind the veil into their past, and does so again in HALL OF MIRRORS.</p>
<blockquote><p>&quot;Longtime fans of the series will rejoice once again.... HALL OF MIRRORS serves as an excellent introduction to what you&rsquo;ve been missing for the last 15 years or so but can now enjoy to the fullest.&quot;</p>
</blockquote>
<p>For the most part, the novel takes place in 1969, with a pair of vignettes set in the present that bookend the story to great effect. Here we find Bryant and May in their 20s and struggling to keep the PCU from being disbanded. They are relegated to babysitting a very difficult witness in an upcoming bribery trial. Monty Hatton-Jones insists on attending a gathering at Tavistock Hall, an estate outside of London on the weekend before the trial. The rural setting provides a fish-out-of-water experience for Bryant and May, who are more geared toward the metropolitan setting of greater London. Tavistock Hall is a shadow of its former glory. The meeting concerns the sale of the hall by the owner and her adult son --- a Baby Huey type who has ensconced a caravan of hippies on the premises --- to a wealthy American businessman who arrives with his wife and rumored mistress in tow.</p>
<p>Fowler is in no particular hurry to set the story pieces up on the board, and spends a good part of the novel&rsquo;s first half doing just that while keeping readers wondrously entertained, as he reveals the first historical hints of the personality traits of his primary characters. The mayhem kicks in soon enough, as the numbers of those assembled --- which include a strange minister, an outrageous decorator and a mystery author --- begin to alarmingly decrease. Monty is also a target, subject to so many violent near-misses that he appears ready to suffer the same fate as Monty Python&rsquo;s Black Knight. There is a steely-eyed method to all of this madness, and Bryant and May eventually sort it all out, even as Tavistock Hall is cut off by unforeseen war games and several acts of sabotage that threaten to keep the duo from completing their original mission of safely getting Monty to trial.</p>
<p>Fowler is nothing if not subtle, and entertainingly so. Each chapter is carefully and lovingly named after the title of a song popular during the late 1960s. Collectively they form a supplemental soundtrack that those of a certain age (and many who are not) will appreciate long after they&rsquo;ve finished the book. And if that&rsquo;s not enough, Fowler drops the news that more is coming from the Bryant &amp; May case files. Longtime fans of the series will rejoice once again. If the above intrigues you, then HALL OF MIRRORS serves as an excellent introduction to what you&rsquo;ve been missing for the last 15 years or so but can now enjoy to the fullest.</p>
<p>Reviewed by <a href="#">Joe Hartlaub</a> on December 14, 2018</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Publication Date:</strong> December 4, 2018</li>
<li><strong>Genre:</strong> Historical Mystery</li>
<li><strong>Hardcover:</strong> 432 pages</li>
<li><strong>Publisher:</strong> Bantam</li>
<li><strong>ISBN-10:</strong> 1101887095</li>
<li><strong>ISBN-13:</strong> 9781101887097</li>
</ul>
AdultFictionHistorical FictionHistorical MysteryMysteryTue, 23 Oct 2018 19:36:48 +0000Ana168565 at https://images.bookreporter.comInfluenza: The Hundred-Year Hunt to Cure the Deadliest Disease in History /reviews/influenza-the-hundred-year-hunt-to-cure-the-deadliest-disease-in-history
<p>by <a href="/authors/dr-jeremy-brown">Dr. Jeremy Brown</a></p>
<h2>Review</h2>
<img src="https://images.bookreporter.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/book_main/covers/influenza-9781501181245_lg.jpg" alt="" title="" style="float:left;margin:0 10px 10px 0;" width="158" height="238"/> <p>Most people are aware of the epidemic of Spanish flu that killed millions worldwide in 1918. Now a hundred years have passed, and the best information we have, according to research physician Jerry Brown, indicates that we are not much closer to finding a cure for the flu, or predicting and coping with a massive outbreak, than we were a century ago.</p>
<p>Beginning with a harrowing story of a modern flu victim to illustrate how devastating &ldquo;just the flu&rdquo; can still be, Brown then takes us back to 1918, when two wars were being waged: World War I and the fight against the flu. The latter was especially significant since conditions for the disease&rsquo;s spread were ideal: the virus needs live cells to do its dirty work, and to find live cells it needs crowds. Those in uniform in crowded barracks were susceptible, along with the poor, crammed into tenements with many family members occupying a tiny space. Add to that the virus&rsquo;s &ldquo;shapeshifting&rdquo; capabilities, which explain why we may get the flu more than once in a season (usually, Brown says, a winter period of low to no sunlight).</p>
<blockquote><p>&quot;Beginning with a harrowing story of a modern flu victim to illustrate how devastating &#39;just the flu&#39; can still be, Brown then takes us back to 1918, when two wars were being waged: World War I and the fight against the flu.&quot;</p>
</blockquote>
<p>In 1918, people, including medical providers, relied on ineffective or fatal remedies such as bloodletting, gas inhalation and overdosing on aspirin. A disturbing chart offered by Brown depicts the average life expectancy in 1918 --- around 40 --- as compared to the pre-1918 flu rate of 55 and the gradual rise to 70 by 1960.</p>
<p>Yet, as Brown points out, some survive the flu.&nbsp;But despite studies that have included such extremes as digging up the frozen bodies of flu victims in Alaska and elsewhere, little is known about how to stop the virus from jumping off birds and swine and hopping onto people. It still kills about 30,000 Americans each year.</p>
<p>Brown, the Director of Emergency Care Research at the National Institutes of Health, avers that there is still no drug that eradicates the virus, and added to the problem are anti-viral drugs that are efficacious at creating controversy, as none seems to work, or to work every year, or in all cases. Brown believes that by forgetting the ravages of the 1918 epidemic, we may be doomed to have a repeat: &ldquo;Marking its centennial is a step in the right direction, but it&rsquo;s a very small step.&rdquo; He&rsquo;s calling for a 1918 &quot;flu memorial&quot; and hopes that by the time it&rsquo;s built, &ldquo;we will also be celebrating a cure.&rdquo;</p>
<p>Reviewed by <a href="#">Barbara Bamberger Scott</a> on December 14, 2018</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Publication Date:</strong> December 18, 2018</li>
<li><strong>Genre:</strong> History/Health</li>
<li><strong>Hardcover:</strong> 272 pages</li>
<li><strong>Publisher:</strong> Touchstone</li>
<li><strong>ISBN-10:</strong> 1501181246</li>
<li><strong>ISBN-13:</strong> 9781501181245</li>
</ul>
AdultHealthHistoryNonfictionTue, 16 Oct 2018 20:16:35 +0000Ana168283 at https://images.bookreporter.comFor the Sake of the Game: Stories Inspired by the Sherlock Holmes Canon/reviews/for-the-sake-of-the-game-stories-inspired-by-the-sherlock-holmes-canon
<p>edited by <a href="/authors/laurie-r-king">Laurie R. King</a> and <a href="/authors/leslie-s-klinger">Leslie S. Klinger</a></p>
<h2>Review</h2>
<img src="https://images.bookreporter.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/book_main/covers/For%20the%20Sake.jpg" alt="" title="" style="float:left;margin:0 10px 10px 0;" width="158" height="239"/> <p>With their fourth Sherlock Holmes short story collection, authors Laurie R. King and Leslie S. Klinger have put together something special. FOR THE SAKE OF THE GAME features stories inspired by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle&#39;s famed detective, but not necessarily starring him. This allows for the writers of these tales to be as creative as possible, and the end result is some wonderful and quite unique entries.</p>
<p>The book&rsquo;s title comes from &quot;The Adventure of the Bruce-Partington Plans,&quot; in which Holmes informs his older brother Mycroft that he is not interested in being honored or recognized for his work. Instead, he plays the game for the game&#39;s own sake. I am happy to say that these authors really took that quote to heart. I will now highlight a few of the tales that particularly stood out for me.</p>
<blockquote><p>&quot;Being a huge Holmes fan myself, I was especially wowed by the last story, &#39;Hounded&#39; by Zo&euml; Sharp... This is a terrific final entry in a worthy collection that should please all Sherlock Holmes enthusiasts far and wide.&quot;</p>
</blockquote>
<p>F. Paul Wilson gives us &ldquo;The Adventure of the Abu Qir Sapphire.&rdquo; Unlike most Holmes stories, Dr. Watson does not serve as the narrator; instead, the story comes directly from the mouth of the detective himself. The international intrigue presented by the Abu Qir Sapphire provides a lot of fun. In &ldquo;The Walk-In&rdquo; by Harley Jane Kozak, the narrator walks into her brother&#39;s apartment to find a dog she does not recognize. This canine becomes the center of a tale involving a charlatan psychic who has done something to the gentleman that his sister will have to puzzle out to save the day.</p>
<p>Rhys Bowen&rsquo;s &ldquo;Sherlocked&rdquo; introduces us to the concept of a robot detective named Sherlock, who is assisting the police force and CSI team. However, Sherlock may end up providing help in areas originally not thought of, making for an interesting crime fighter. Reed Farrel Coleman uses a variation of A STUDY IN SCARLET for &ldquo;A Study in Absence,&rdquo; in which Holmes is dealing with a book titled <em>The Absent Man</em> by Isaac Masters Knott. He offers up that the writer is I.M. Knott, thereby discovering that the actual author remains a mystery. This ruse called to mind the name &ldquo;U.N. Owen,&rdquo; or &ldquo;Unknown,&rdquo; utilized in Dame Agatha Christie&#39;s AND THEN THERE WERE NONE.</p>
<p>A unique entry here is the story told in the form of a comic book, &ldquo;The Case of the Naked Butterfly,&rdquo; by William Kotzwinkle and Joe Servello. In this illustrated tale, Holmes is represented as a praying mantis, and all the supporting players are from the insect world. In &ldquo;Buy a Bullet,&rdquo; Gregg Hurwitz uses characters from his <em>Orphan X</em> series and sets them up with a complex situation that provides a solution worthy of the great Sherlock Holmes. &ldquo;Tough Guy Ballet&rdquo; by Duane Swierczynski is set in 1987 Los Angeles and finds a tough guy police detective called out to assist his partner. Instead, he spots a 19-year-old girl taking down a bad guy in swift fashion. What our narrator does not realize is that this super teen is not all who she claims to be.</p>
<p>Being a huge Holmes fan myself, I was especially wowed by the last story, &ldquo;Hounded&rdquo; by Zo&euml; Sharp, who brilliantly inserts her protagonist, Charlotte &quot;Charlie&quot; Fox, directly into THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES<em>.</em> It&#39;s great fun to see Charlie interacting with Holmes, Watson, Lord Baskerville and all the characters from the original tale. Charlie is no slouch and has been referred to as Jack Reacher if he was a woman. This is a terrific final entry in a worthy collection that should please all Sherlock Holmes enthusiasts far and wide.</p>
<p>Reviewed by <a href="#">Ray Palen</a> on December 14, 2018</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Publication Date:</strong> December 4, 2018</li>
<li><strong>Genre:</strong> Mystery/Short Stories</li>
<li><strong>Hardcover:</strong> 272 pages</li>
<li><strong>Publisher:</strong> Pegasus Books</li>
<li><strong>ISBN-10:</strong> 1681778793</li>
<li><strong>ISBN-13:</strong> 9781681778792</li>
</ul>
AdultAnthologyFictionMysteryShort StoriesMon, 19 Nov 2018 20:10:47 +0000Ashley169188 at https://images.bookreporter.comWhen Women Ruled the World: Six Queens of Egypt/reviews/when-women-ruled-the-world-six-queens-of-egypt
<p>by <a href="/authors/kara-cooney">Kara Cooney</a></p>
<h2>Review</h2>
<img src="https://images.bookreporter.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/book_main/covers/9781426219771.jpg" alt="" title="" style="float:left;margin:0 10px 10px 0;" width="158" height="239"/> <p>Dr. Kara Cooney is one of Egyptology&rsquo;s most visible faces, regularly featured on documentaries and talk shows and in print and digital media. A brilliant scholar who is passionate about sharing her love for ancient Egypt with her audiences, Cooney offers her insights on female rulership in antiquity in her new work of nonfiction, WHEN WOMEN RULED THE WORLD.</p>
<p>Cooney discusses six queens, each of whom reigned as a monarch in her own right --- not as a pharaoh-queen, but as a rightful ruler. She discusses the political context that allowed ancient Egypt to produce female rulers, which was markedly different from the other patriarchal societies of the ancient Near East. Every so often, political vacuums of power arose in Egypt --- i.e., the male line of the dynasty withered out. Rather than allowing competing nobles to suck the country into civil war, the central powers in Egypt would allow a woman from said dynasty to assume power and smooth the political transitions.</p>
<blockquote><p>&quot;Overall, Cooney creates an intriguing entry in the ongoing discussion about women&rsquo;s political roles in ancient Egypt.&quot;</p>
</blockquote>
<p>In addition to its isolated geography, the admittance of women to the halls of power helps account for Egypt&rsquo;s remarkable pattern of political stability throughout the millennia. That&rsquo;s especially at odds with the frequent political tensions that erupted in Egypt&rsquo;s nearest neighbors in the Levant and Anatolia. By prioritizing continuity and peace, regardless of gender, above individual desires, the Egyptians ensured easier transitions of power.</p>
<p>While Cooney&rsquo;s central thesis is compelling, it is hard to reconcile the supposed smoothness of Egyptian succession with greed and desire for power that surely arose from the higher nobility. The idea that the Egyptian upper classes put their own needs behind those of their country so consistently, century after century, doesn&rsquo;t vibe with human nature --- few involved in politics are all that altruistic, as we see so often in today&rsquo;s world.</p>
<p>Surely dynastic transitions were just as unruly and uproarious as they are today --- we just don&rsquo;t have preserved records recounting said instability. Furthermore, it would be to the advantage of new rulers to portray themselves as keepers of the peace, upholders of millennia of sacred tradition, regardless of whether or not that was true. And relying too heavily on the propaganda left behind by these pharaohs might skew our points of view. Thankfully, Cooney does weave in the archaeological record quite frequently --- but so much has been lost to history, so she must conjecture where possible. And that makes it hard to create a fully fleshed-out portrayal of each queen&rsquo;s life and motivations.</p>
<p>Overall, Cooney creates an intriguing entry in the ongoing discussion about women&rsquo;s political roles in ancient Egypt. Sometimes, when striving to apply her singular thesis about a unified political motivation to different women throughout the millennia, her argument wears a bit thin.</p>
<p>Reviewed by <a href="#">Carly Silver</a> on December 14, 2018</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Publication Date:</strong> October 30, 2018</li>
<li><strong>Genre:</strong> History</li>
<li><strong>Hardcover:</strong> 400 pages</li>
<li><strong>Publisher:</strong> National Geographic</li>
<li><strong>ISBN-10:</strong> 1426219776</li>
<li><strong>ISBN-13:</strong> 9781426219771</li>
</ul>
AdultHistoryNonfictionWomen's StudiesThu, 15 Nov 2018 06:38:56 +0000tom169115 at https://images.bookreporter.comInto the Night /reviews/into-the-night
<p>by <a href="/authors/sarah-bailey">Sarah Bailey</a></p>
<h2>Review</h2>
<img src="https://images.bookreporter.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/book_main/covers/97815387599501.jpg" alt="" title="" style="float:left;margin:0 10px 10px 0;" width="158" height="239"/> <p>It&rsquo;s hard being the new kid in town. Ask Detective Sergeant Gemma Woodstock. In fact, she may be new to Melbourne, but she isn&rsquo;t exactly a kid. She has a child of her own, back in the little village from where she just transferred. Her son is probably better off without her there all of the time, although Gemma can&rsquo;t quite convince herself that&rsquo;s true. She loves that little boy and misses him a lot. Their time together seems rare.</p>
<p> Luckily for Gemma, she loves her work. She throws herself into tackling thorny puzzles created by homicides. It&#39;s Detective Sergeant Nick Fleet, with whom she has been partnered, who she doesn&rsquo;t love so much. This is possibly because, between the two of them, they have more baggage than a Boeing 747&rsquo;s cargo hold. Still, they work well together. Most of the time.</p>
<blockquote><p>&quot;INTO THE NIGHT is both hair-raising and downright entertaining. Sarah Bailey could be a new favorite author for a lot of readers.&quot;</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Well, they&rsquo;re going to need to work together now because a homeless man has been murdered. Brutally stabbed. The attack appears random, which makes it tough for Gemma and Nick to get a handle on motive. But before the detectives have a chance to thoroughly sink their teeth into this case, a high-profile actor, Sterling Wade, is stabbed while shooting a scene. It happened before hundreds of witnesses, yet in the confusion, they have just as many versions of the attack.</p>
<p> To Gemma&rsquo;s dubious delight, the Chief Inspector puts Nick and her in charge of the Wade case and relegates the homeless man&rsquo;s murder to a lesser priority, which causes a surge of guilt on Gemma&rsquo;s part. Why doesn&rsquo;t the street person get as much attention as the famous guy? She knows the answer. And a lot of it has to do with politics. Maybe if they can wrap up the Wade case quickly, they can get back to their homeless murder.</p>
<p>Then, despite the long hours with little sleep, Gemma thinks she notices some sort of parallel between the two killings. Can that be right? The men shared no common ground. How could their paths have crossed in a city as large as Melbourne, living in worlds so far apart, existing in circles so vastly different? Perhaps the connection is there, but maybe it isn&rsquo;t. Forensics will have to tell.</p>
<p>Gemma and Nick focus on Wade, who was on the brink of big-time fame. Who would want him dead? Certainly not his director. This film signified a huge break for both of them. His agent? He&rsquo;s her gravy train. What about his fianc&eacute;? That makes no sense. They just got engaged --- albeit secretly --- last week, so this should be a time of ultimate happiness for them. They shared their apartment with another actor, but he too claims to be as devastated by Wade&rsquo;s death as anyone. As for the rest of the Wade family, they haven&rsquo;t been exactly close, but that just gives them less of a motive to kill him. Right?</p>
<p>The nail-biting action packed into this book stems not only from the bold killer executing a murder in plain sight, but also from the self-destructive detectives themselves. Brilliant as they both are, they have a tendency to make all the wrong choices, at least during their off-duty hours. They seriously need to get their lives together, or they may be cut short. INTO THE NIGHT is both hair-raising and downright entertaining. Sarah Bailey could be a new favorite author for a lot of readers.</p>
<p>Reviewed by <a href="#">Kate Ayers</a> on December 14, 2018</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Publication Date:</strong> December 4, 2018</li>
<li><strong>Genre:</strong> Mystery</li>
<li><strong>Hardcover:</strong> 416 pages</li>
<li><strong>Publisher:</strong> Grand Central Publishing</li>
<li><strong>ISBN-10:</strong> 1538759950</li>
<li><strong>ISBN-13:</strong> 9781538759950</li>
</ul>
AdultFictionMysteryTue, 16 Oct 2018 14:40:49 +0000Ana168249 at https://images.bookreporter.comRapid Falls/reviews/rapid-falls
<p>by <a href="/authors/amber-cowie">Amber Cowie</a></p>
<h2>Review</h2>
<img src="https://images.bookreporter.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/book_main/covers/Rapid%20Falls_0.jpg" alt="" title="" style="float:left;margin:0 10px 10px 0;" width="158" height="237"/> <p>Cara Piper was just one year older than her sister, Anna, and almost as pretty. But almost wasn&rsquo;t good enough for Cara. She wanted top billing. Anna always seemed to try to outshine Cara. Growing up, Cara&rsquo;s little sister stole the spotlight whenever she could, took Cara&rsquo;s things at every chance, craved their parents&rsquo; attention --- and got it. But now it was Cara&rsquo;s turn. And in her senior year of high school, she felt like she had it all. On her graduation night, in true Rapid Falls tradition, Cara and the rest of her class --- along with much of the town&rsquo;s other youth --- partied hearty at the Field. She was there with Jesse, her boyfriend. Jesse had killer good looks, and he was all hers.</p>
<p>Cara had their entire lives mapped out: college together from here, marriage after that. In fact, she halfway expected he would propose that evening. It was shaping up to be quite a night. Oh, it was. Just not in the way Cara had hoped. Far from it. Tragedy struck when the celebration ended with Jesse dead and Anna accused of felony DUI. Drugs and alcohol were found in her blood. Anna had promised to be the designated driver. Instead, she had driven the truck into the river, and Jesse died.</p>
<blockquote><p>&quot;Amber Cowie proves herself a master at pacing and suspense.... Realization comes almost agonizingly slowly, leaving you constantly hungering for what will happen next.&quot;</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Now, nearly 20 years later, Cara has a devoted husband, Rick; a young daughter, Maggie; and a good career. After the accident that night, Cara left Rapid Falls, hoping never to return. But her sister keeps her connected to the past, and to her hometown. Anna served her prison sentence and was released, yet continues to have frequent run-ins with the law. She can&rsquo;t seem to kick the booze and drugs, but then relies on Cara to bail her out whenever she falls again. Over and over.</p>
<p> How long will Rick put up with the constant interruptions in their lives? Will Cara ever be free of Anna? She knows what happened that night, even if Anna can&rsquo;t quite remember. Oh yes, she knows. After all, Cara lost the love of her life. Her sister took him away from her. Anna may have paid her debt to society, but she still owes Cara. And for Cara, it will be a lifelong debt. Don&rsquo;t underestimate the power of sisterly love --- or the opposite of it.</p>
<p>Author Amber Cowie proves herself a master at pacing and suspense. She feeds you the details of that long-ago night in tantalizingly relaxed increments, just enough at a time that one or two more hairs stand up on the back of your neck with each revelation. Realization comes almost agonizingly slowly, leaving you constantly hungering for what will happen next.</p>
<p>RAPID FALLS is a story not of redemption but a reminder to always follow your instincts. We have instincts for a reason. Don&rsquo;t ignore them. Keep in mind that everyone lies. Remember that, and never turn a blind eye when something doesn&rsquo;t feel right. Never. This book will etch that lesson into your mind as it entirely captures your imagination and reacquaints you with the feeling of goosebumps.</p>
<p>Reviewed by <a href="#">Kate Ayers</a> on December 14, 2018</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Publication Date:</strong> December 1, 2018</li>
<li><strong>Genre:</strong> Psychological Thriller</li>
<li><strong>Hardcover:</strong> 256 pages</li>
<li><strong>Publisher:</strong> Lake Union Publishing</li>
<li><strong>ISBN-10:</strong> 1503904741</li>
<li><strong>ISBN-13:</strong> 9781503904743</li>
</ul>
AdultFictionPsychological SuspensePsychological ThrillerSuspenseThrillerFri, 16 Nov 2018 21:11:13 +0000Ashley169149 at https://images.bookreporter.comWrong Light: A Rick Cahill Novel/reviews/wrong-light-a-rick-cahill-novel
<p>by <a href="/authors/matt-coyle">Matt Coyle</a></p>
<h2>Review</h2>
<img src="https://images.bookreporter.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/book_main/covers/Wrong%20Light.jpg" alt="" title="" style="float:left;margin:0 10px 10px 0;" width="158" height="242"/> <p align="left">Following 2017&rsquo;s spectacular <a href="https://www.bookreporter.com/reviews/blood-truth-a-rick-cahill-novel" target="_blank">BLOOD TRUTH</a>, incidents in the fifth Rick Cahill escapade rattle burgeoning San Diego radio personality, Naomi Hendrix. The Naomi at Night talk show host has the &ldquo;kind of voice that inspires fantasies in lonely men trying to hold back reality.&rdquo; The loneliest one sends cryptic and disturbing missives to Naomi&rsquo;s station, which engages Rick to identify the stalker and protect the talent.</p>
<p align="left">Naomi does not, however, want protection causing Rick to view &ldquo;the truth through life&rsquo;s kaleidoscope, shaded and ever changing.&rdquo; She has her own defense, a Glock 19 stowed in her vintage 1969 Camaro. When the pistol vanishes, Rick learns the theft can&rsquo;t be reported to police. &ldquo;Something was off with the whole scenario.&rdquo;</p>
<blockquote><p align="left">&quot;WRONG LIGHT is the most rewarding and complex Cahill series installment, making it my <em>numero uno</em> Bookreporter.com Top Pick for 2018.&quot;</p>
</blockquote>
<p align="left">In a binary yet entwined plot, &ldquo;Sergei <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkov_(surname)" target="_blank">Volkov</a>. Head of the Russian Mafia in San Diego [and] Tatiana. The devil&rsquo;s daughter,&rdquo; offer a deal Rick can&rsquo;t refuse: &ldquo;If you don&rsquo;t do as I say, you&rsquo;ll die. Painfully. If you go to the police, you&rsquo;ll die more painfully.&rdquo; The deal? Espionage regarding Rick&rsquo;s nemesis, de facto mob boss Peter Stone, putting the PI between a stone and a hard place. His dilemma is that Naomi faces death but if Tatiana kills Rick, who protects Naomi?</p>
<p align="left">Rick is &ldquo;really pushing this friendship thing&rdquo; with compatriot PI Moira MacFarlane&rsquo;s &ldquo;TNT wrapped in a hundred-pound frame&rdquo; persona. She says he &ldquo;can be a real passive aggressive jerk.&rdquo; Niceties aside, Moira lessens the probability of his painful death by tailing Stone, who &ldquo;lived life straddling both sides of the law,&rdquo; while Rick works the Naomi case. Reluctantly he becomes Tatiana&rsquo;s lapdog and spins the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_roulette" target="_blank">Russian roulette</a> wheel, fortunately not encountering the green zero. Yet, can he avoid the loaded chamber?</p>
<p align="left">The road leading to the identity of Naomi&rsquo;s stalker and Rick&rsquo;s brush with Russian collusion has twists and turns that rival a <a href="https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=california's+most+complex+cloverleaf&amp;qpvt=california%27s+most+complex+cloverleaf&amp;FORM=IGRE" target="_blank">California cloverleaf</a>. WRONG LIGHT is the most rewarding and complex Cahill series installment, making it my <em>numero uno</em> Bookreporter.com Top Pick for 2018.</p>
<p>Macavity finalist and Anthony Award-winning Matt Coyle is Raymond Chandler reincarnate, and will be <a href="http://www.leftcoastcrime.org/2020/" target="_blank">Left Coast Crime San Diego 2020</a> convention Toastmaster. In addition to the comprehensive list of accomplishments identified at <a href="http://mattcoylebooks.com/about/" target="_blank">this link</a>, BLOOD TRUTH was nominated for Lefty and Shamus awards, and took home the Foreword Reviews Indie Book of the Year Silver Award.</p>
<p>Reviewed by <a href="#">L. Dean Murphy</a> on December 14, 2018</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Publication Date:</strong> December 4, 2018</li>
<li><strong>Genre:</strong> Hard-boiled Mystery/Thriller</li>
<li><strong>Hardcover:</strong> 352 pages</li>
<li><strong>Publisher:</strong> Oceanview Publishing</li>
<li><strong>ISBN-10:</strong> 1608093166</li>
<li><strong>ISBN-13:</strong> 9781608093168</li>
</ul>
AdultFictionHard-boiled MysteryMysterySuspenseThrillerTue, 27 Nov 2018 20:25:56 +0000tom169412 at https://images.bookreporter.comThe Second Goodbye: A Pacific Homicide Novel/reviews/the-second-goodbye-a-pacific-homicide-novel
<p>by <a href="/authors/patricia-smiley">Patricia Smiley</a></p>
<h2>Review</h2>
<img src="https://images.bookreporter.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/book_main/covers/Second%20Goodbye.jpg" alt="" title="" style="float:left;margin:0 10px 10px 0;" width="158" height="242"/> <p>Third time&rsquo;s the charm --- as in the third outing of Patricia Smiley&rsquo;s phenomenal <em>Pacific Homicide</em> series.</p>
<p>Following 2017&rsquo;s OUTSIDE THE WIRE, Los Angeles Homicide Detective Davina &ldquo;Davie&rdquo; Richards encounters a lull in murders, perhaps initiated by an early onset of area wildfires. She sifts through cold cases and is intrigued by the glossed-over death of Sara Montaine, age 34.</p>
<p>Sara had volunteered at Four Paws Cat Rescue, where a promotional photo depicts Sara autographing with her left hand. Her personal life, however, had taken a turn. She surreptitiously shopped for a gun, while the owner took a call in the back room leaving Sara alone. A cursory police investigation ascertained suicide, the Smith &amp; Wesson near the victim&rsquo;s right hand. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s unusual for a female to off herself with a gun,&rdquo; Davie opines. Although much &ldquo;had happened to Sara --- her husband&rsquo;s illness, his death, and the bad relationship with her stepson. Maybe life finally came crashing down on her.&rdquo; But a neighbor says, &ldquo;Sara wasn&rsquo;t depressed. She was scared.&rdquo;</p>
<blockquote><p>&quot;A thoroughly satisfying and well-crafted police procedural, this is my first Patricia Smiley encounter. That will change. I&rsquo;ll purchase all previous books to give myself the best Christmas gift <em>ever</em>.&quot;</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Davie&rsquo;s mantra is: Assume Nothing; learn as much about the victim as the purported killer. She assimilates that Sara was married to a much older, wealthy man. Was Sara a gold-digger or selfless, in caring for her dying husband? Davie learns that before Sara&rsquo;s marriage, she&rsquo;d lived comfortably without obvious means of revenue. Nothing odd about that, other than being an orphan placed in foster care of those with limited income. &ldquo;You think there was something hinky about the case?&rdquo;</p>
<p>Meanwhile, Davie takes on another, &ldquo;the brutal two-year-old murder of gangbanger Javier AKA Javi Hernandez.&rdquo; Davie runs afoul of drug lord wannabes, and is bushwhacked by those involved with illicit drugs. &ldquo;The only thing that pushed her forward was the commitment she&rsquo;d made when she took this job --- to stand in the shoes of the victims, protecting their interests against all others.&rdquo;</p>
<p>Davie learns that a hit man identified only as Mushroom Ears is following her, but which case instigated this? She tails the man tailing her, all the while picking up bits of evidence, like shells on a Pacific coast beach.</p>
<p>With the passing of Sue Grafton, the Queen of Alphabet Soup-titled mysteries, I&rsquo;ve found a Kinsey Millhone doppelg&auml;nger in Davie Richards. A thoroughly satisfying and well-crafted police procedural, this is my first Patricia Smiley encounter. That will change. I&rsquo;ll purchase all previous books to give myself the best Christmas gift <em>ever</em>.</p>
<p>Reviewed by <a href="#">L. Dean Murphy</a> on December 14, 2018</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Publication Date:</strong> December 8, 2018</li>
<li><strong>Genre:</strong> Mystery</li>
<li><strong>Paperback:</strong> 312 pages</li>
<li><strong>Publisher:</strong> Midnight Ink</li>
<li><strong>ISBN-10:</strong> 0738752363</li>
<li><strong>ISBN-13:</strong> 0738752363</li>
</ul>
AdultFictionMysteryTue, 27 Nov 2018 03:26:31 +0000tom169368 at https://images.bookreporter.com